


Note passing.

by arfrid



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Cute, F/M, Richie Tozier Loves Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26302348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arfrid/pseuds/arfrid
Summary: The whole gang that Max goes with is there, with his lookalike talking to a cute little brunette, while the two other boys are busy trying to find food, and the bowl-cut boy is dancing with some random girl, and Max is alone.“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”They’re dancing together, and honestly, she couldn’t be prettier.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 8





	Note passing.

Max and Richie were in detention. And if you ask him, it was all her fault.

It was completely and utterly her fault that they had started fighting in the middle of the hallway, where Mr. Clarke just happened to be walking by.

He had just made a snarky remark about her stepdad that he didn’t know had any meaning, _“Where’d you get that bruise, Red? Got it from your stepdaddy-o?”_

She had stiffened and had (admittedly quite brilliantly) responded with, _“I heard your grades are dropping just as much as your self esteem because of your neglectful parents, Tozier.”_

He gave her a silent but seething glare and she returned with one of her own. He flipped her off, and she pushed his arm away. He shoved her and she shoved him back. He shoved her harder, and she shoved him harder. Mr. Clarke looked up.

“Max, Richie.” He said firmly, “You two would get along amazingly well if you weren’t so competitive.”

Richie rolled her eyes, “I’m not competitive, besides, I didn’t start it.”

Max scoffed, “You started it, asshole! Maybe you should use your tiny little brain to actually think before you say something!”

Richie was about to push her off the chair when Mr. Clarke cleared his throat. They both looked away from each other, crossing their arms.

He heard the sound of writing, then the redhead stuck a sticky note to his desk.

_If you had actually thought before saying that, we wouldn’t be here, fucker._

He glared at it, then grabbed his own pack of sticky notes and started writing: _‘Well, maybe if you hadn’t gotten so riled up, we wouldn’t be here.’_

He then stuck it to her desk. He heard more writing and looked over to see a sticky note on his desk.

_Was I wrong about your parents?_

He stiffened, then wrote back, _‘Was I wrong about YOUR parents?’_

She didn’t pass him any more sticky-notes.

The bell rang and they immediately got up and walked to the door, then to their respective groups.

They avoided each other for a week, any time they saw each other they either turned the other way or just ignored each other.

The Losers all asked what was up with them, but Richie changed the topic every time.

The Party knew Max well enough to know not to ask.

After 2 weeks, Richie started thinking about what he’d said.

 _“Where’d you get that bruise, Red? Got it from your stepdaddy-o?”_ He’d just said it to annoy her, but the way she’d stiffened then backlashed…

Well, it made him think that he was right.

From that day, Richie looked for her occasionally, to, I don’t know, say sorry? To ask if anybody else knew? He didn’t know what he’d say, he only knew that he had to say something.

Luckily, he got that change in the form of detention. Again.

The Biology Teacher that Richie always forgot the name of had given him detention for being 25 minutes late. He had argued, as always, that he was only late because a certain girl with a skateboard had ridden over his homework, but this was debunked by his lookalike, Mike, who said that Max was coming to school with him and Nancy.

Max, he was informed, had been picking fights with Troy Walsh.

He had to admire that she was brave enough to pick a fight with him, despite being a more-or-less a foot smaller than him.

The froze the second she saw him in there, then walked away.

So there they were.

Squished together.

Like before.

Richie writes on a sticky note and hands it to her: _Hey, Road Warrior._

She sends one back: _Sup, fuckup._

He let out a silent chuckle, and responded with, _Ouch, my feelings._

_Yeah, your nonexistent ones. What do you want?_

_Was I right? About what I said?_

_So what?_

_You should tell somebody._

_No._

They didn’t exchange notes, with Max clearly waiting for Richie to say something, and Richie thinking of what to say, for a change.

Eventually, he heard the sound of scribbling and then there was another sticky note on his desk; _So, I heard you were looking for me. Couldn’t be without my fabulous presence?_

Richie chuckled again, and the Math teacher looked up suspiciously. They stayed silent, with Max whistling. The teacher looked back down again, and Richie started writing.

_I’m surprised you haven’t come chasing after me. I’m so very popular amongst the girls._

Max covered her mouth, visibly trying to muffle her laughter. She started writing again; _As if. My friend Frogface looks better than you._

_We look the same! Anyways, I wear it better._

_Debatable._

Richie started laughing silently. Max looked amused at him, then scribbled hastily on a sticky note and handed it to him: _Hit the arcade later?_

He smiles and hands her a sticky note, _Definitely._

Okay, it’s been about a month, and Richie can confirm that he _loves_ this girl.

She’s awesome at Dig Dug, Street Fighter, Pac-Man, literally every game in the Arcade, and always hits the top spot of the leaderboard.

When he confirmed he was indeed Trashmouth, he was sure that Max’s mind was blown. She stared at him for a good long second, then high fived him.

Yes, this is totally his kind of girl.

Except he’s too nervous to make a move.

He keeps passing notes to her in class, and she responds with funny remarks that make him fall even more in love with her.

One day, though, Max asks him a question through sticky notes: _Have you ever seen someone so beautiful you just feel like you want to just kiss them?_

 _Yes_ , he answers simply. She doesn’t ask who it is, but gives him a mischievous smile, one that he’s sure he’s worn a handful of times.

Then, the Snowball happens.

All of the Losers are joining, and shit, he’s nervous.

Bill tells him not to be nervous, to be himself.

Stan tells him to _not_ be himself.

Beverly awkwardly just shrugs, while Ben gives the same advice as Bill. Eddie gives the same advice to Stan, but it doesn’t look like’s gonna be much better during it.

He tells them he’s got a special someone, but he doesn’t say who.

They keep trying to pressure him, but he doesn’t spill the beans, but then they get to the snow ball.

“Hey, have you seen my lookalike?” He asks Bev.

“What the fuck, is he the one? That’s gonna look so gross because you look like twins!” Eddie tells him, making a face. Richie colorfully flips him off.

Bill taps him on the shoulder, pointing at a table across the hall. The whole gang that Max goes with is there, with his lookalike talking to a cute little brunette, while the two other boys are busy trying to find food, and the bowl-cut boy is dancing with some random girl, and Max is alone.

Now’s his shot.

He walks up to her, mentally preparing himself for rejection.

She looks the most prettied up he’s seen her, with a black sweater and orange trousers, and shit, shit, shit, his mind has officially stopped functioning.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” She tells him. He hadn’t noticed her walking towards him until she was right in front of him. He clears his throat.

“Uhm, s-sorry.” He stutters. Oh my god, he stuttered.

“Did I just make the Trashmouth malfunction?” She giggles. He laughs nervously, and she grabs his hand, “Come on, loser boy.”

They’re dancing together, and honestly, she couldn’t be prettier.

The song “Every Breath you take comes on”, and Richie can’t resist mouthing along. Max obviously loves it, so he exaggerates some of the words, and then they kiss.

It was a short one, but honestly, Richie wouldn’t trade his first kiss for anything else. Her face is red, and he assumes his is too, but she’s hugging him, and he loves it.

This night couldn’t get any better.


End file.
